China Space Station's Shenzhou-14 Astronauts Complete Second Extravehicular Activities

The Shenzhou-14 astronauts from China have finished their extravehicular activities (EVAs), according to a statement from the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) Saturday.

Shenzhou-14 Taikonauts Extravehicular Activities

At 1:35 p.m., Beijing Time, Cai Xuzhe unlocked the hatch of Wentian's airlock cabin. Both Cai and Chen Dong were outside at 3:33 p.m. At 5:47 p.m., the two returned to the lab module, according to the CMSA (via China.org.cn), which has deemed the mission a success after almost five hours of EVAs.

Astronaut Liu Yang supported her crewmates during the EVAs while she was inside the core module. They have finished several tasks, including mounting the handles for extra-vehicular assistance and extending the load circuit pumps. The capability of extravehicular rescue was also verified.

The EVAs have tested the small mechanical arm and Wentian's airlock cabin's functionality as well as the astronauts' ability to coordinate with each other and the arm. The most difficult task of extravehicular rescue was performed for the first time by the taikonauts, who also added more pumps to the space station's thermal management system.

QinduoXu, Senior Fellow of Pangoal Institution shared a photo of the event on his Twitter.

On the other hand, CNSA Watcher shared a video of the exploration in a Twitter post.

Taikonauts' Coordination Significance

According to Pan Shunliang, deputy chief designer of the Overall Design Department of the China Academy of Space Technology, astronauts and ground control staff must be skilled at working together with different drills. He pointed out the importance of communication between the taikonaut within the capsule and the two taikonauts outside the capsule.

There is also a requirement for close coordination between many departments on the ground, including the measurement and communication system, astronaut system, Beijing Aerospace Flight Control Center, and the space station system.

Regular repeated spacewalks may be necessary to move the solar wings from the core module to both sides of the lab modules during the operation stage. The purpose of the extravehicular activities is to prepare for and assess the feasibility of spacewalks.